Bush fires back

Washington, D.C.

President Bush plunged into the political fray this week, unofficially launching his re-election campaign with stinging attacks on the Democratic presidential contenders. Bush had held his tongue for months, as Sen. John Kerry and other Democrats blasted him on everything from budget deficits to the Iraq war. In what GOP officials said was a “tactical shift,” Bush accused Democrats of waffling on national-security issues and of running a campaign fueled by “a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger.” Bush was most biting on the subject of Iraq. He mocked Democrats for questioning his decision to “liberate” the country by toppling Saddam Hussein. “Maybe they were hoping he’d lose the next Iraqi election,” he said.

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